Company says appointments of Barbara Duncan and Stephen Dilly will strengthen commercial strategy for next-generation protein degradation therapeutics.

PhoreMost has appointed Barbara Duncan as chair of the board and Stephen Dilly as non-executive director, in what the company says is a clever move to support the development of its targeted protein degradation (TPD) programs and the commercialization of its GlueSEEKER platform.

The company is advancing a pipeline of next-generation degrader therapeutics in oncology and inflammation and believes these board additions will help guide preclinical progress and future commercial growth.

PhoreMost is pleased to say that Duncan brings more than 25 years of leadership experience and has supported numerous high-value transactions. She has served as a board director for companies involved in acquisitions by AstraZeneca, Gilead, and Concentra Biosciences, and is said to have raised $1.5 billion in financing and led multiple initial public offerings.

Duncan currently holds board positions at Convergent Therapeutics, Halozyme, Atea Pharmaceuticals, and OVID Therapeutics.

She said: “The PhoreMost team has made excellent progress in developing novel therapeutic approaches within the field of TPD. With its impressive capital raised to date and the caliber of its industry partnerships, the team is making strong headway with its pipeline of degrader-based therapeutics, and I look forward to working closely with them to support the company’s continued growth.”

Dilly is reported to have extensive experience in clinical development and company exits valued at over $4 billion. PhoreMost confirms he has held leadership roles at Genentech, Chiron, and Aimmune Therapeutics, where he oversaw the development and FDA approval of a peanut allergy treatment before the company’s acquisition by Nestlé Health Sciences. He is currently CEO and chair of Codexis.

Dilly said: “TPD is a rapidly expanding and evolving modality, which has the potential to transform treatment for patients with currently untreatable conditions. This is a fantastic time to join PhoreMost and be a part of the team as they continue to address key challenges with molecular glue discovery, enabling the development of novel degrader-based therapeutics to revolutionize the future of medicine.”

PhoreMost’s founder and former chair, Dr Chris Torrance, will remain on the board as a non-executive director.

Dr Neil Torbett, CEO at PhoreMost, said: “We welcome both Barbara and Stephen, we are delighted for them to join the board. Their exceptional strategic and commercial leadership will be invaluable as we continue to progress differentiated degrader assets and commercialize our GlueSEEKER platform, which has recently passed significant chemical translation milestones. And of course, a big thank you to Chris for all he has done, and continues to do for PhoreMost as we progress in our mission to develop the next generation of therapies.”